Linfox and Pacific National Get Onboard With The ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

Sail Melbourne, the first leg of the prestigious ISAF Sailing World Cup, is delighted to announce a valuable logistics partnership with Linfox and Pacific National. The deal will make it easy and inexpensive for world class sailors competing in key Australian events to transport their equipment around the country.

With the Perth World's test event scheduled to take place prior to the traditional summer 'Sail Down Under' series of events, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, a greater number of world champions and Olympic gold medallists from across the globe are expected in Australia come November.

Travelling across Australia would have presented a logistical challenge for sailors, in terms of organising transportation of their boats from Perth to the east coast. Linfox, the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in the Asia Pacific region, and Pacific National, Australia's largest private rail freight operator, have both stepped in to lend a hand and support the growth of sailing in Australia.

The partnership means Sail Melbourne organisers can now offer all competitors taking part in Perth a heavily subsidised logistics solution that will transport boats from Perth to Melbourne. Once competitors have packed their boats into the specially provided containers, they will be picked up from Fremantle on nominated dates and transported via rail directly to Melbourne.

Bruce Griffiths, Chairman of Sail Melbourne, said: "This deal is a huge step forward for Sail Melbourne as we once again prepare to host the first leg of the prestigious ISAF Sailing World Cup."

"This is great news when it comes to our vision of seeing the event grow into a renowned sports entertainment platform, as it ensures we can expect the highest turnout of competitors possible. For the world class talent competing at Perth, travelling over to the east coast for the Sail Down Under series will now be hassle free."

Chris Keast, Director Pacific National Intermodal: "We at Pacific National and our counterparts at Linfox are delighted to be able to assist what we are sure will be a vast array of the world's best sailing talent. Australia is one of the world's greatest sailing destinations, and the more people that come here to witness that first-hand, the better. We're looking forward to a fantastic summer of sailing!"

Sail Melbourne is proudly supported by the Victorian Government and will be held in the state-of-the art surroundings of Sandringham Yacht Club from December 12 - 18, 2010. Competitors in the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Cup then head off to Miami, Palma, Hyeres, Medemblik and Kiel before finishing at Weymouth, England - the London 2012 Olympic venue, in September.

Whilst the usual price for the kind of transportation being offered by Pacific National and Linfox would be just under $3,000 per boat, competitors will only have to pay a minimal service fee of $175 per boat for bookings made by July 30th, 2010. An additional administration fee of $25.00 per boat will apply for bookings made after this date. The final deadline for bookings is August 30, 2010.

It was a week of superlatives. Think 678 sailors, 599 boats, 150 races for ten Olympic classes and three Paralympic classes. At the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, presented by Sunbrella, we talked of "a racecourse built out of shifts." We spoke of competitive performances that exceeded any comparison to walking a tightrope. Dancing on a tightrope would be more to the point.

It was a week of superlatives. Think 678 sailors, 599 boats, 150 races for ten Olympic classes and three Paralympic classes. At the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, presented by Sunbrella, we talked of "a racecourse built out of shifts." We spoke of competitive performances that exceeded any comparison to walking a tightrope. Dancing on a tightrope would be more to the point.